Popcast: Techno’s Dual Identity

Juan Atkins, one of the elders of Detroit techno, and Moritz Von Oswald, long important to the techno scene in Berlin, have collaborated recently on a project called Juan Atkins and Moritz von Oswald Present Borderland; the duo’s new album is “Transport,” and they performed over Memorial Day weekend at Detroit’s Movement festival. As the critic Piotr Orlov pointed out in a recent Times article, “Transport” not only represents a link between the two cities — one that may become stronger if Berlin’s techno entrepreneurs continue to develop their business interests in Detroit — but the sound of aging and classicism in a genre that has long been about youth and the future.

On this week’s Popcast, Mr. Orlov and Mike Rubin — both of whom have been writing about techno for decades — discuss the new project, the history of techno in Berlin and Detroit (including the tale of the elusive Rik Davis), and techno’s dual identity as youth music and heritage culture.